Parenting a teenager can be likened to a rollercoaster, with many ups and downs along the way. Some parents see changes in their teenager almost overnight whereas others may see a gradual change. Teenagers can also experience highs and lows through changes in their lives, both emotionally and physically.
During this stage, parents can feel more anxious as their teens become more independent and giving advice to teenagers can sometimes be difficult for them to accept as they are insistent that they know best! Frustrating times to say the least, but it can also be very enjoyable as you are able to share parent teenager relationships in a positive way.
Parenting teenagers can be an enjoyable experience with a little bit of preparation and we offer a wealth of information on the different aspects of parenting teenagers. We have advice pages containing parenting teenager tips, a forum for parents problems with teenagers, parenting courses, live chat, email service and forums staffed by Family Support Workers to help, advise and support you and your family.
Approaching the teenage years can fill parents with dread but being prepared and knowing what to possibly expect can help to take the pressure off during this part of your child's journey. We are always here to offer teenager help and advice in a non-judgmental and compassionate way.
First steps to supporting your Teenager
Help I have a teenager! This is a term we often hear as our children fast approach their teenage years. Finding the right type of advice on dealing with teenagers can be confusing as there is so much advice available which can make things especially difficult. After all you aren’t given a parent’s guide to teenagers when your child turns 13 years of age!
There can be a battle of wills over the smallest issues which can often leave families feeling drained and frustrated. Parents have often said they feel like they are walking on eggshells around their teens which are stressful. Tensions can surface as teenagers feel they want to explore the world in their own way. Teenagers with parents that take an interest might be resisted by their teenager at the start, but ultimately as they grow and mature, they will understand why!
Providing Advice to your Teenager
It can be difficult for parents who are dealing with teens to know how to advise teenagers and guiding them through life’s ups and downs can be a real challenge. Talking about teenagers and relationships can be a really difficult conversation to have, and there might be times when you need a bit of extra help with your teenager’s behaviour to help you make sense of what might be going on for them.
We can offer teenage help and advice which can empower parents to have a more enjoyable experience when dealing with the teenage years and the difficult times that can go hand in hand with this. Hopefully this will improve your parent-teenager relationship and ensuring that your teen knows your door is always open will reassure them that they can come and talk to you about anything that might be troubling them.
Health and Wellbeing
Support groups for teenagers and teenage problem advice aren’t always easy to find, or access. Teenagers often feel that they are emotionally equipped to deal with problems on their own. But occasionally teenagers need some additional support. Unfortunately, not everyone has the privilege of having close friends and family around to help them through troubled times. Our section on the health and wellbeing of teenagers has a wide range of information and advice. We have articles on body image, finding time with your teen and much more. Please click here.
School and Beyond
Teenage problems in school can be a very daunting time for families as they struggle to deal with the issues their child may be facing. It may be your teenager’s behavioural problem that is causing concern or perhaps general teenager and school problems, including schoolwork, teachers, boundaries, etc. Working with your teenager’s school is essential to address these issues. We understand that this is not always possible or a positive experience for parents but it is important to have exhausted every avenue. This can be draining for parents and teenagers alike. Our section on school and beyond offers advice and information from truancy to gap years, from career choices to peer pressure. Please click here.
Sex and Relationships
It is widely reported that teenagers becoming parents is on the increase and this concerns many parents when their teenagers start to explore relationships. There are no hard and fast rules on parenting a teenager and it is important to keep the conversation of sex and relationships open and ongoing throughout these years. Our section on sex and relationships has a wealth of information from talking to your teenager about sex and relationships to teenage pregnancy and puberty and disabled teenagers. Our articles are full of advice and information. Please click here.
Boundaries
One of the biggest issues faced by parents of teenagers is often centred around boundaries, rules and the impact it has on family life. It can be exhausting telling your teenager what the rules are over and over again. Family Lives understands the pressures of parenting a teenager and can offer advice and information on this. Our section on boundaries has a range of content that can help make family life happier. We have articles such as how to live happily with your teen to setting boundaries and more. Please click here.
Risky Behaviours
It is common for teenagers to push the boundaries but for some, they may engage in behaviour that is deemed risky. Family Lives understands how distressing it is for parents of teenagers who are facing issues like this. Reaching out and trying to show them that the choices they are making can have severe consequences can be the most difficult thing. Communication may be at an all-time low. There are a range of issues in our risky behaviour section from gangs, violence, breaking the law to runaway teenagers. Please click here to view these articles.
Drugs and Alcohol
It is not uncommon for teenagers to try drugs or drink alcohol in their teenage years. For some they may experiment and make the positive choice to not participate but unfortunately, there are some who get dependent on drugs or alcohol. Parenting a teenager who is addicted to drugs or is alcohol dependent can be devastating and you may feel like everything you say is falling on deaf ears. Watching a loved one destroy themselves and being helpless is heartbreaking. Our section on drugs and alcohol has articles about drugs, spotting the signs, alcohol and talking to them about this. Please click here.
Jargon Buster
Have you ever read a text or message sent to or from your teenager and wondered what language they were speaking? Throughout generations teenagers have always used slang words and parents have always been left wondering what they said! We have a section called Jargon Buster which has common terms used by teenagers. It is from young people and parents themselves. Please click here to access this and learn the meaning of the terms you may have heard.
Parenting a teenager multimedia course
At Family Lives we realise how tricky it can be to communicate with teenagers. We have a range of free resources including I-modules that involve you taking part as a parent. We have designed these so that parents can explore different approaches to tackling those difficult situations that they might stumble across. These range from talking to your teen about sex, to how you might broach the subject if you find your teenager has been truanting. Why not take a look at these for yourself and see if you can glean any new information.
Living with a teenager is a learning curve and what once worked for a tween might not be as effective when you are dealing with a teenager. You might have to learn new techniques so we hope that you will find these helpful. There are lots to choose from and some of our popular ones are talking about sex, risky behaviours and truancy. Please click here to take a look at this section.
Moving Forward Together with your Teenager
Family Lives knows that parenting a teenage can be fraught and at times you may simply feel like giving up. It isn’t always easy to see the changes in our children and when this is exacerbated with grumpiness and selfishness it can be easy to blame ourselves as parents and to think that we have done something wrong along the way.
This is where we come in. We realise that parents need supporting along the way and however trivial your concerns may feel to you, we understand that these are very real.
We are here to offer you support and advice during this difficult time so there is no need for you to struggle alone. We offer non-judgmental and confidential advice to help you work through the mixed emotions you might be feeling.
All our trained support workers are parents themselves and many will have been through similar situations. Sometimes a listening ear can work wonders and help you to put things in perspective and help to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Please click here to see how we can help.
Talking to other parents who are also struggling with teenager problems might be a good source of support and if you feel this would help, don’t hesitate to visit our Online Forums where you can share experiences and views with each other.
